This is a property to love and cherish. Golf Digest ranks Porcupine Creek's 19-hole golf course within a private residence in Rancho Mirage as 13th Best in California. Aside from a residence created in the early 2000’s by the owner and architect Narendra Patel, an award-winning architect of desert custom houses, where the main house is 18,430 sq ft with a 1,860 sq ft guesthouses and four 600 sq ft casitas, there is a clubhouse, pro shop and driving range which enhance the property that lies on 249 acres. Views are of the mountains, golf course and city lights.
The rustic yet elegant Porcupine Creek property is in the quiet, serene Mirage Cove area where many homes cost less than 1% of the idyllic desert retreat. It is listed for sale for $75MM, the highest price ever for a desert estate. The golf course is 6718 yards from the back tees. Palms, saguaros, evergreens all line the course and four nurseries are used for landscaping. Two US Presidents influenced the design of two holes, George H.W. Bush #8 and Gerald Ford, a frequent guest, #10. The 19th hole winds back to the main house.
A spectacular 80-foot-diameter fountain ringed with 90 individually lit jets that shoot water up to 80 feet high is at the formidable entrance to the main house. The splash resounds enough to be heard from the 15th tee. Inside, the foyer boasts a vintage Lalique table and carved thrones. A sheet of water runs down a tile mosaic — handcrafted by Italian artisans — that depicts a golfer and a woman in period dress on the Porcupine Creek course.
Throughout the house, ceiling murals add artistic whimsy, such as in the his-and-hers powder rooms flanking the foyer. His shows two men wearing top hats and red bow ties, with wine and cigar, playing chess. Hers audaciously portrays harlots peering down from a balcony. Other murals, such as the one gracing the ceiling of the great room, reflect a more traditional tone.
The entire second floor holds the master quarters, reached by elevator or stairway. A baby grand piano sits in the master bedroom, a wall-length balcony allows light to stream in, and includes a spa. There are his-‘n-her bathrooms with sitting areas, room-sized closets and walk-in showers with overhead murals. The suite includes his-‘n-her offices and a coffee station.
A stage, tables and room for dancing are included, along with a hearth, in the “party pad.” Commercial kitchens, indoors and out, provide cooking power and serving space to serve crowds. The children’s nearby play area has a full-size circus Carousel and trampoline. The childrens bedrooms feature carved wood, kid-sized beds and a playroom with an Alice in Wonderland-styled and -sized door and nanny quarters across the hall. Porcupine Creek’s game room boasts a white Carrera marble bar with brass foot rail and taps, limestone fireplace, mahogany bookshelves, and a stained-glass domed rotunda lined with built-in banquette seats from a church in Europe setting off a billiard table supported by brass lions.
The spa has a check-in desk, its own entrance, and top-of-the-line equipment including the ROM “4-minute” cross trainer, two massage/treatment rooms with Endermologie machines, a steam room, Vichy shower room, hot tub and hair salon.
Stained glass from European churches and elaborately carved wood lend an air of historical grandeur, and were influenced by the owners trips to elaborate French chateaux. A carved fireplace in the Great Room came from Florence. There are European stone sculptures on the lawns. Ceiling murals are whimsical.
Profile of a potential buyer: a resort company such as Four Seasons, W Hotels, or perhaps Donald Trump would repeat his $100MM coup in Palm Beach with the former Gosman estate. However, there is a development agreement precluding its use as a resort. Foreign aristocrats are candidates, who might love golf, the Palm Springs weather and lifestyle, enjoy entertaining on a grand scale, and who have the funds to maintain this huge estate. They might be flying guests to the airport and shuttling them to the estate. Fund raisers and weddings have been held at Porcupine Creek, and could be held again in the future. This is a formidable American retreat, perhaps fit for a king.
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